The Guys At Hoonigan Made Their Own Turbos And Put Them To The Test

Guys, this is a game changer for so many people out here in the real world. Many of us can’t afford “real” turbocharging for our cars, but thanks to the geniuses over at Hoonigan, there is a much more affordable solution that even the most novice mechanic can design, purchase and install right in his own garage.

The best part is, other than maybe needing a screwdriver to tighten down a hose clamp or 2 and some wire strippers for hooking up the power, you really don’t even need tools for this! Most of the “fabrication” is done with duct tape, proving just how overrated welding really is.

Thankfully, the guys at Hoonigan’s Scumbag Labs division have laid out the general idea, so all you have to do is adapt their design to fit your application, and you have instant horsepower on tap at the flip of a switch. An added benefit of being able to turn the boost off and on is that when it’s off, you won’t hurt your fuel efficiency, something that is obviously of the utmost importance to us here at Speed Society.

Offering nearly 50% more power on the dyno, these numbers have been backed up by on-track testing as well, with this hardware store horsepower system knocking over three full seconds off the test mule’s 1/8th mile time. Numbers don’t lie, guys! This is the real deal, and you can do it yourself in your own garage for just a few hundred dollars.

If you’ve read this far, I hope you know this has been somewhat facetious, or maybe more “tongue-in-cheek”. While the dyno numbers and on-track times certainly do prove that these electric fans did make the engine in this 3rd gen Firebird more powerful, this type of setup is only going to work on a car that’s way down on power and has a hard time breathing. This type of setup on a car that makes even 200 horsepower is almost certainly going to be more of a restriction than it is a power booster, although I would be curious to find out just where that line is between helping and hurting with a homebuilt setup like this. Maybe these guys can grab a few different cars and find that out for us, but in the meantime, enjoy this edition of Scumbag Labs, and check back for more from the coolest guys on the internet, Team Hoonigan.